Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said that France has repeatedly hosted meetings for Sudanese opposition parties under the pretext of including them in a prospective peace deal, Quds Press reported yesterday.
The Sudanese news agency reported Ghandour saying: “Despite the African Union roadmap which was adopted by the government, the statement of the last meeting for the [Sudanese] opposition in France discussed the forceful overthrow of the government.”
He said the French envoy to African affairs took part in the meeting which “is considered an implied acceptance”.
Meanwhile, Ghandour said that his ministry summoned the French ambassador to Khartoum to clarify the French situation. “There is no hostility between France and Sudan and France has no intention to interfere in internal Sudanese affairs,” Ghandour reported the French ambassador saying.
He said the French ambassador apologised for “any misunderstandings” and reiterated his country’s keenness to maintain good relations with Khartoum.
On 20 April, a number of Sudanese opposition leaders held a meeting in Paris and announced their refusal of requests that they join the proposed roadmap to peace.
The meeting ended with a statement stressing the principle of cooperation among the opposition parties in order to achieve “peace and democratic change” along with starting mobilisation for a peaceful and popular unprising to topple the current authority.